Support, Welfare and Guidance

When your child starts school, as parents you are filled with pride and enthusiasm – your baby is now a child starting out on their educational adventure. It is exciting to prepare your child's backpack and uniform, but it is natural to also feel anxious about your child walking into their classroom to start this new stage of their life... in English! 
 
The Early Years team want to reassure parents that they will be feeling much more anxiety than their children – 'for children it is much easier to adapt to this new stage', says Anne-Marie Rackham, Deputy Head of Early years.

What can I do to prepare my child for school?

Ms Rackham provides the following advice for all students, not just for the little ones:

• Speak to your child very positively about their new school, the new friends they are going to make and everything they are going to do and learn. If you have time, you can read them some books about starting school.
• Help your child to be independent, giving them the responsibility of preparing for their first day of school, helping to organise their backpack, snacks and uniform from the first day.
• When you drop off your child, say good bye in the fastest way possible – extending the time can make children nervous.
• A good nights' sleep is very important. Your child must get used to going to bed early.
• Get your child up with plenty of time for them to stretch, dress, and have time for breakfast. A good breakfast is essential to start the day well.
• It is important to help your child become autonomous – when they can do something for themselves, you should not do it for them.
• Identify all of your child's belongings with their name and surname and send a bag to the school containing a change of clothes, in case there they have an accident (polo, jersey, pants, underwear, socks and disposable wet wipes).
• Early Years children have a daily siesta period. If your child wants to bring a stuffed animal to keep them company, this is not a problem – they will be very well received.

How can I help my child at home?

At home, encourage them to share what they are learning at school. Ask what songs are singing in class and look them up on the Internet, then sit with your child and sing them together. It doesn't matter if you don't speak English, you'll be certain to enjoy the shared experience with your child. 

The best possible start to life after school

Our students are welcome in the best universities across Spain, the UK and the rest of the world. While this opens a whole lot of opportunities, it also raises the need for guidance and support. Our careers and university guidance team help parents and students to make informed decisions on the best possible study options.

What we do

We encourage students to start thinking about university options in Year 11 with the help of their family leaders. In Year 12 we support students to prepare their personal statement and decide which degree to pursue and which university to apply to.

Students have access to:

• External and internal university fairs
• Special guest talks
• Visits to state universities in Madrid
• Work-shadowing experiences
• Community service programmes
• Events where alumni share their experiences and provide guidance and encouragement. 

Our careers and university guidance team:

• Provide personalised advice and guidance on individual interests, concerns, motivations and aspirations
• Help students draft their motivational letter, application form, and personal statement in a way that will set them apart from other applicants
• Prepare students both in writing and verbally through a mock interview
• Give students continuous guidance and support from the moment they take their Bilingual Baccalaureate exams up until they go on to university.